“Every carrier is getting to the 4G platform in a different way,” he says. “But at the end of the day, you can define what it is based on what the industry standard is and the experience that you get.”

A coverage map of the proposed network coverage shows most of the state would indeed be covered, minus large sections of the Shawnee National Forest in southeastern Illinois and scattered pockets in west central Illinois. The merger is expected to be approved in January.

Laschiazza says dropped calls and slow data speeds, for which AT&T has been criticized for some time, will be greatly reduced as it takes on T-Mobile’s extra network capacity. Lachiazza says the merger will likely be a done deal by January.